XN000022-1988-04-21 — Page 24

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1988

THE DEFENCE OF A COLONY WAS THE DUTY OF ΤΙΕ SOVEREIGN STATE. WHEN A SOVEREIGN STATE MAINTAINED AN ARMY IN A COLONY, THE COLONY HHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED TO PAY FOR IT AT ALL, HE SAID.

REFERRING TO THE ARGUMENT THAT UNTIL VERY RECENTLY HONG KONG HAD BEEN PAYING 75 PER CENT OF THE DEFENCE COST, MR LEE SAID HIS COMMENT WAS THAT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE AT THE TIME SHOULD NEVER HAVE ALLOWED THE DEFENCE COST TO REACH SUCH A "RIDICULOUSLY HIGH LEVEL"

HE ADDED THAT NO MATTER HOW MUCH HONG KONG HAD AGREED TO PAY IN THE PAST, THE POSITION HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED WITH THE SIGNING OF THE JOINT DECLARATION WHICH STIPULATED IN CLAUSE 4 THAT "THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF HONG KONG WITHI THF OBJECT OF MAINTAINING AND PRESERVING ITS ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND SOCIAL STABILITY" UNTIL. 1997.

17 WOULD BE A BREACH OF THIS CLAUSE FOR THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO WITHDRAW ITS TROOPS FROM HONG KONG BEFORE 1997.

FOR THIS REASON, EVEN IF HONG KONG WERE TO REFUSE TO MAKE ANY CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS THE DEFENCE COSTS, MR LEE SAID HE WAS SURE THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT WITHDRAW ITS TROOPS FROM HONG KONG BEFORE 1997.

FOR

TURNING TO THE HONG KONG BAR ASSOCIATION'S CALL IMPROVEMENTS IN THE GOVERNMENT'S TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT FOR LOCAL JUDGES AND LAWYERS, IN RELATION TO HOUSING, MR LEE SAID THAT LAWYERS NORMALLY ALREADY HAD THEIR OWN FLATS TO LIVE IN, AND SO THE OTHERWISE ATTRACTIVE FRINGE BENEFIT OF HOUSING WOULD NOT BE AN INCENTIVE ΤΟ TURN.

"INDEED IT MAY TURN OUT TO BE A DISINCENTIVE BECAUSE CONTEMPLATING TO JOIN GOVERNMENT SERVICE WILL KNOW THAT HE BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS RATHER SUBSTANTIAL FRINGE HE SAID.

A LAWYER WILL NOT BENEFIT,"

THE BAR ASSOCIATION HAD THEREFORE SUGGESTED THAT SUCH A FRINGE BENEFIT SHOULD BE CONVERTED TO A CASH ALLOWANCE, MR LEE SAID JIE SUPPORTED THIS IDEA AND URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO STUDY THUS PROPOSAL PROMPTLY.

WERE

HE ADDED THAT ON A MORE GENERAL LEVEL, IT SEEMED ΤΟ TIM THAT THE FRINGE BENEFITS AT PRESENT ENJOYED) BY CIVIL SERVANTS ENTIRELY EXPATRIATE-ORIENTED; FOR EXAMPLE SCHOOL FEES CHILDREN OF CIVIL SERVANTS STUDYING ABROAD AND AIR PASSAGES CHILDREN.

L

THE

FOR THE FOR SUCH

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ANY STUDENTS

FIK SAID THE OBJECTIVE SHOULD NOT BE TO ENCOURAGE OF CIVIL SERVANTS TO STUDY ABROAD BUT TO STUDY AT HOME. STUDYING ABROAD MIGHT DECIDE NOT TO RETURN TO HONG KONG, AND THIS พ.1S NOT GOOD FOR THE LONG-TERM FUTURE OF HONG KONG.

/HE SUGGESTED